Together: The Gospel Design

Our vision starts with a guiding principle, a main thing. We are calling it our Vision Statement. We want it to be simple but powerful.

Thank you for being here for week 2 of our 20/20 Vision. We’ve asked you for 100% commitment to 100% attendance in the month of March. And many of you are taking that to heart. If we grab hold of the vision God has for us in Scripture it will make you a stronger Christian, your family as stronger family, and us a stronger church.

Vision Statement: “Glorifying God by creating Christ followers who change the world.”

Our vision starts with a guiding principle, a main thing. We are calling it our Vision Statement. We want it to be simple but powerful. Vision Statement: “Glorifying God by creating Christ followers who change the world.”

In order to do that we will be guided by 3 overarching values that come from God’s word.

1) Captivated by God’s Glory through Worship. This give us the directive of “creating worshippes by leading people to treasure God.”

2) Connected to God’s Family through Discipleship. This gives us the directive of “fostering community by guiding people into Christ-Centered fellowship.”

3) Committed to God’s Mission through Ministry and Evangelism. This gives us the directive of “producing servants by sending people to fulfill the Great Commission.”

Last week we talked about what it means to be Captivated by God’s Glory. This is a worship value. Worship must come first because worship is what we have been created for. Worship is the purpose of God for all things. To display his glory.

Worship is treasuring, adoring, placing great value on something. We were made to treasure God by living in a relationship with him.

So, our worship of God comes only through Jesus Christ. We seek to live lives turning from sin and placing faith in Christ Jesus. The Bible says that in Christ we are children of God.

So we glorify him by enjoying a relationship with God in Christ. A relationship which allows us everyday to be more and more captivated by who he is and what he has done for us. We treasure him. We worship him. We are captivated by his glory.

Another critical value is that of Community. We are Connected to God’s Family through Discipleship.

I. The gospel bonds believers to each other for worship.

Certainly worship is something that we done individually, but God relates to worshipers and receives worship via worship communities.

When God first chose to make worshippers from sinners, he could just selected individuals to relate to in a special way. But he didn’t, he chose a nation, the nation of Israel for himself to relate to and receive glory from.

He related to them as a whole. When they were faithful people, he blessed them as a whole. The whole nation entered the promise land together as one. When they were unfaithful, he punished them as one. The nation of Israel was sent into Babylonian Exile together. He led the nation as a whole through the wilderness with a cloud by day and a fire by night.

When Achan took the things devoted to the Lord. The people of Israel experienced the defeat at Ai. He treated them as one.

God’s idea of worship is bigger than individual worship. One of the mistakes we make when we talk about salvation to people is to make it too individualistic. Now it is true that we get saved through our individual faith.

Here’s what I mean. I’ve heard preachers talk to people, especially children, about the love of God. And, I’m sure I’ve done this along the way as well. They quote , but they change some of the words, like this: “For God so loved “Bradley,” that he gave his one and only Son that “if Bradley” believes in him, he might have everlasting life.” If you were the only person on earth that needed saving, God would have sent Jesus to die for you.

+If you were the only person on earth that needed saving, God would have sent Jesus to die for you.

That may technically be true, but the fact is that God is doing a great deal more than just saving you.

In the angel told Joseph about Mary,

Matthew 1:21 ESV

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Jesus didn’t come just for individuals. He has a people, plural, that he came to save. So if you are saved, you are a worshipper, you are a part of a people.

Jesus didn’t come just for individuals. He has a people, plural, that he came to save. So if you are saved, you are a worshipper, you are a part of a people.

For that reason, biblical worship involves community.

*Here’s one way to think about it. A quality stained-glass window is made up of hundreds of tiny pieces of glass held together with lead. Individually these pieces of glass are beautiful. But when placed in it’s proper place along with the other pieces of glass, together as one, it displays a level of glory that each piece of glass could never do on their on. Christians are just like that. We are beautiful in Christ on our on, but connected together with other believers in the church, we glorify God as one in a way we could never on our on.

The gospel bonds believers together for worship.

So, if you aren’t connected together with other believers in some kind of small group or prayer group, you aren’t glorifying God in the way God intends.

II. Gospel bonding creates community.

We see this in the N.T. as the Holy Spirit creates worshipers and the church is born. We don’t see Lone Ranger Christians out doing things on their on that aren’t connected to a local body somewhere. Worshipers are drawn to each other and they begin to function together as one.

We see this pictured most clearly in . LIsten to the plural pronouns used.

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. ()

Functioning togher like this is worship. The Christian life was meant to be lived together. When God creates worshippers, he is connecting us to Christ, but he is also connecting Christians to each other.

A.W. Tozer once recognized that if 100 pianos were all tuned to the same tuning fork, then they are automatically tuned to each other. He wrote, “They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”

What creates community? Focusing on Christ does. Worship does. So if this is true, if you are having trouble connecting in relationships in a small group, maybe you have to ask yourself, “do I have a faith problem?” Am I not connecting because I don’t want to move deeper with Christ? Do I not trust Christ?

Remember this, As a worshipper, you have been born again. God intends for children to be born into a family. That is what he does. God births us into his family. By putting un in his family, God connects us to each other when he makes us worshippers.

III. Gospel community creates lifestyle worship.

Worship is not just singing together and listening to a sermon. It’s functioning together as Christ’s people in a way that shows Christ is our greatest treasure. Community provides a framework for treasuring Christ.

We see this throughout the book of Acts. At least 6 times in the book of Acts you see this phrase “with one accord” or something similar.

1. They made requests of God together.

In , after Christ had ascended, the apostles and other women, and Jesus Mother and family gathered together in the upper room.

Acts 1:14 ESV

14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

“All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” () They needed to know what God wanted from them now. They met together, they prayed together.

They needed to know what God wanted from them now. They met together, they prayed together.

If you are not routinely meeting together with other Christians and praying we are not acting like we need him all that much.

2. They experienced God’s power together.

In ,

Acts 2:1 ESV

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.

As they were together having made requests of God. God’s power fell on that place. They Holy Spirit filled them and they were empowered for the mission at hand.

3. They lived life together.

Acts 2:46–47 ESV

46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 2:

They ate together and praised together. They gave to other people together.

“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people.” () They ate together and praised together. They gave to other people together.

Baptist are fond of saying, “If there is a reason to meet there is a reason to eat.” That’s biblical. We ought to be eating together with other Christians. The best relationships are often built around a dinner table. It’s why we have Wednesday night meals and round tables.

I could go on and on. We do ministry together as a people of God. We go overseas on mission together as a people of God. We do evangelism together as a people of God. One of the best ways to engage in evangelism is to invite them to church. If we are being God’s family rightly, they should come here and see something that looks different than the rest of the world. God uses healthy community to draw people to himself.

IV. Gospel community provides needed protection from the enemy.

We are stronger when we are together.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 ESV

12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

“And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” ()

We are stronger together because we are accountable to one another and we are accountable for one another.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV

11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

James 5:16 ESV

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Galatians 6:1–2 ESV

1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2 ESV

2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

This is important because we all know how the devil works.

This is important because we all know how the devil works.

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

The lion doesn’t attack the whole heard but looks for someone off by themselves to destroy. That is what the devil does.

The lion doesn’t attack the whole heard but looks for someone off by themselves to destroy. That is what the devil does.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” ()

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. ()

I think Mike pointed out in your Sunday School Lesson today how the Devil works. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” () The lion doesn’t attack the whole heard but looks for someone off by themselves to destroy. That is what the devil does.

So if you are not in a small group, you are prime target for the devil to attack.

V. Gospel community replaces weaknesses with strength.

This is another reason we are stronger together. All of us have strengths and weaknesses. God brings us together to use other people strengths is secure up our weaknesses. He uses our strengths to secure up others weaknesses.

Watch what happens when we bring our strengths and weaknesses together.

1 Corinthians 12:21–26 ESV

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Every part of the body needs the other parts. Eyes are really important, but they don’t walk around real well. Feet and legs are good, but they keep running in to everything.

The body of Christ needs every part that God has given to it. It needs prayer warriors, evangelists, preachers, teachers, singers, carpenters, cooks, ladies that can put together fellowships. People that love children and nursery. People who can fix computer problems, etc.

None of us can do everything. When we function together as one, none of have to do everything. We only have to do what we’ve been created and called to do. Then there is no limit to what we can do.

Across the grasslands of East Africa live some of nature’s most fascinating animals. The rhinoceros, a two-horned terror of tremendous speed, size, and agility is feared by most of the creatures in the wild.

Across the grasslands of East Africa live some of nature’s most fascinating animals. The rhinoceros, a two-horned terror of tremendous speed, size, and agility is feared by most of the creatures in the wild.

But there is one animal who has no fear of the rhinoceros. Only the buffalo bird has no fear of the rhino. The birds perch on the back of the rhino. Some even peck into the rhino’s back as a woodpecker pecks on wood. Some fly around the rhino’s head and others perch on its ears. The rhino doesn’t attack, for he and the buffalo bird have an understanding.

Rhinos have poor eyesight and their bodies are covered with parasites which they cannot control. The flock of birds on his back does a great service by eating the parasites which are the whole of their diet. When danger is in the area the birds let out a shrill call warning the rhinos of what they cannot see. In return, they are protected from predators by one of Africa’s largest mammals. That’s teamwork. (Charles Lowery, SBC Life, May 2005)

*Many years ago, two students graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. The highest ranking student in the class was a blind man named Overton, and when he received his honor, he insisted that half the credit should go to his friend, Kaspryzak. They had first met one another in school when the armless Kaspryzak had guided the blind Overton down a flight of stairs. This acquaintance ripened into friendship and a beautiful example of interdependence. The blind man carried the books that the armless man read aloud in their common study, and thus the deficiency of each individual was compensated for by the other’s ability. They both graduated, all because they functioned as one.

May we take to heart what Christ prayed for us before he went to the cross.

John 17:10–11 ESV

10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

“All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” ()

Are you connected to the family? Are you building meaning Christian relationships? This happens in small groups. Are you a part? If not, why not? If so, to what extent? May God make us one body. One community of faith.